ECHOES OF THE DAMNED (ENG)

CHAPTER VI - Say Cheese!

The narrow corridors of Colbert Hospital seemed to stretch on forever as the group pressed forward, their flashlights cutting through the suffocating darkness. With Alexis gone, the weight of the silence felt even heavier. Every step felt like it could be their last. The hospital groaned around them, the old structure settling like a beast slowly waking from its slumber.

Gregory led the way, his flashlight jittering in his shaky hand. Adrianna stayed close behind, her breath shallow and her pulse drumming in her ears. Joseph trailed at the rear, constantly glancing over his shoulder as if he expected something—or someone—to be following them.

They moved deeper into the heart of the hospital, searching for any sign of Matheo. But as the minutes dragged on, it became harder to focus. The air was thick with something unnatural, like they were being watched by unseen eyes. The temperature dropped with every step, a chill crawling along their spines.

'Greg,' Adrianna whispered, her voice trembling, 'Please, wait for me,'

Gregory did not answer. He scanned the corridor ahead. The beam of his flashlight landed on a gurney, overturned and rusted, a relic of whatever horrors this place had witnessed long ago. But as they stepped past it, something flickered at the edge of their vision—a shadow that was not theirs.

Suddenly, a cold gust of wind swept through the hall, sending a shiver up Joseph's spine. 'Did you guys feel that?' he asked, his voice wavering.

Before they could respond, a faint laughter echoed from somewhere ahead—a childish giggle, high-pitched and mocking. Gregory froze, his heart pounding in his chest. Adrianna clutched her flashlight tighter, her fingers trembling as she pointed it toward the source of the sound. The beam illuminated an empty wheelchair at the end of the hall, its wheels creaking as if someone had just been sitting in it.

Then it moved.

Without warning, the wheelchair jerked forward, rolling toward them on its own. Adrianna gasped, stumbling back, her flashlight flickering as it hit the ground. The chair stopped just a few feet from them, and from behind it, the shadows shifted—bending, twisting, taking shape.

In the dim light, the silhouette of a figure emerged—a doctor, dressed in a tattered white coat, his face gaunt and hollow, eyes black as coal. He stood motionless, his head cocked to the side, as though curious about the intruders in his domain.

'What the hell is that...'

The surgeon did not move, but a sickening, wet drip echoed from his direction. As Adrianna's flashlight steadied, the beam revealed the source—blood was dripping from the sleeves of the doctor's coat, pooling onto the floor. But it was not just blood. Needles and scalpels clattered from his hands as they fell onto the linoleum, a twisted mockery of the tools he once used in life.

And then, behind him, more figures began to emerge. Nurses with twisted faces and hollow eyes, their once-pristine uniforms stained with decay. They moved slowly, as though savoring the fear radiating from the group. Their smiles—unnatural and wide—stretched far too long across their faces, splitting their skin like they had not smiled in years. The hospital staff, long dead, were enjoying this.

The demonic figures did not rush toward them. They did not have to. The way they moved, the way they watched, was enough. They fed off the terror in the air, growing stronger as the group's fear spiked.

'We need to go,' Gregory said, barely able to keep the panic out of his voice. 'Now.'

But the path behind them was no longer clear. A nurse appeared from the shadows, her eyes glinting with malice, blocking their retreat. Her fingers, long and bony, flexed like she was toying with the idea of reaching out and grabbing them.